Thursday, 31 August 2017

It was about two days ago that I saw my
first dragonfly in some while.Wherever
you find those gorgeous helicopters, there’s likely to be mosquitos, and
wherever you find those pests, you can be assured of the presence of water.

With that sneak preview of the town,
Fallon, we witnessed a bike trail along a substantial sized canal.Aha!Water!Flowing water!And lots of it!Perhaps the desert has come to an end?

It was most welcoming—the water.The
flow of traffic at Fallon was not so.Nauseous!Busy!No matter how much trekking is done, where
tolerance should be achieved, I would be the first to opt for a nearby, quiet,
parallel avenue. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallon,_Nevada

“Hayagriva, does your GPS tell of an
alternative road?If so, I’ll take
it!”Hayagriva is quick to find
one.I consider it a blessing.

My second, or rather first blessing for the
day, was the celebration of the birth of Radha, the eternal consort of
Krishna.For this we conducted a small
puja—offering—in her honour at the home of “Motel 6” owners, Jay and
family.Annaiudyangi, with two great
grand-kids, came, and some members of the local Hindu community also
participated in our talk and chant.

I was then whisked off to meet journalist
Adam Robertson of the Lahontan Valley News for a good interview session.

At intervals of the day’s activities, I was
enjoying “Chasing Rhinos with the Swami,” by Shyamasundar.It’s a great read about the early days of
Krishna Consciousness in San Francisco.Within these next few weeks, we will approach San Francisco and make
that final touchdown.There will be lots
of water there—maybe mosquitos.

Wednesday, 30 August 2017

He had that iconic or classic look of a
wise Native American Chief, in fact he is a Native American Chief—Chief Johnny
Bobb, of the Shoshone tribe, his long whitish hair, pony-tailed, frames his
face.He came out of his car and offered
some prayers in his language because he understood from my walking purpose that
I could use help.

“Just face the sun,” he said.So I did, and then he tossed water in various
directions saying prayers—mantras.

“What does it mean?” I asked after he was
finished.

“May your legs and feet be strong.May you be protected and be successful in
your forward journey ahead.”He offered
me a sage brush stick for good luck.

That was so
sweet.I shared with him the maha-mantra.I believe we had a mutual good wish for each
other.And while I met the chief, I pondered
on the whereabouts of the balance of our party—Hayagriva and Marshall.Apparently they were at Sand Mountain, a two
mile long, six hundred foot high dune.The support van’s wheels got stuck in that sand, which explained the
delay. https://instagram.com/p/BYYXlWmlD7U/

With the sun
blasting today at 100° Fahrenheit, my umbrella is necessary.Mystically, objects to shield that merciless
sun manifest.A group of bikers speed
by.Accidentally, one of the biker’s
goggle shades came rolling down to my feet.They’re cool, with a strap.Further
down the road, I see three sets of sun glasses that were rejected and thrown in
the ditch.Hmm!There’s three of us!

Despite the heat
I believe to be smart with the feet.Chase the right hours and dodge the inferno.

If you are driving at night in Nevada, you
could run into a cow or a bull.Yes,
some of the areas are open range for beef cattle.They have the right of way.No problem if you’re walking.A pedestrian is never fast enough to
accidentally collide with one of those bovines.

More than one sweet person on their way to
“Burning Man” stopped.A woman parked
her car at the side of the road, laid out her yoga mat and placed coconut
water, sugar snap peas, trail mix and a banana onto it, leaving space for me to
sit.She was in the lotus position also
on the mat.Conveniently, she took
advantage of the partial shade her hitched bicycle provided.

I told her I couldn’t sit.“It might be hard to get up again.I’ve been walking since New York—which is
where she is from.Promoting walking—meditative
walking—is my objective.Our lives are
imbalanced…”

“Our country could use that right now,” she
said of the U.S.I inherited the goods
on the mat and gave her my best thanks.

Rolin also pulled over.“Are you developing your personal
relationship with God?” I asked him, since last night, outside a bar, he had
preached his point.He’d had a few
beers.So well intentioned he was.Now I'm facetiously getting back at him.He took it well.

I also met Italians, two younger men
driving through, who stopped to talk.There were others who handed me much needed water.That is saving me and also the umbrella.

I must also mention that to our great
satisfaction Annaiudyangi aka Annabella,
came to greet our party with her great grandchildren, Tommy and Serenity.

The only cool place for the lunch she
brought—a picnic—was in a tunnel, six feet high, under the highway.The lizards who call it home didn’t take too
kindly to our presence.“Hey bro, let’s
share space, man.”

TRANSLATE

ABOUT ME

I am a disciple of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and I became a monk of the Hare Krishna order in 1973. My teacher gave me the spiritual name, Bhaktimarga Swami, which means "the path of devotion". Of course, this fits right in with my avid promotion of walking adventures as a way to connect with the Divine and lead a more care-free / car-free lifestyle. It is a great joy to share these adventures in both Canada and abroad with you via my daily blog.
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ARTICLE: BHAKTIMARGA SWAMI: A LIFE DRAMATIC

CLICK ON PHOTO TO READ FULL ARTICLE FEATURED ON ISKCON NEWS: To ISKCON devotees everywhere, the name Bhaktimarga Swami conjures up images of powerful, out-of-the-box stage productions; and of energetic kirtans, full of stomping dance moves and jubilant smiles...